Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem
Someone has said that there is no Christmas without angels because there is no Christmas without the supernatural and miraculous. The truth is, if there is a God, you would expect Him to be greater than and transcendent over the creation He has made. He would not be subject to His own creation. When you come to the Christmas story, there is no Christmas story if there is no God and there is no Christmas story if there is no miraculous and supernatural, if God cannot do that which you and I cannot do. The amazing thing, however, about the Christmas story is not just the transcendent God, but the God who descended in human form as God the Son, Jesus Christ. What an amazing story!
Matthew 2 gives us part of what we consider the Christmas story, the wise men coming to worship the child Jesus. How did the wise men know where to find Jesus? Well, this is a story of miracles. In Matthew 2:1 it says, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”
Whatever else you may know about the star, it was a miraculous sign that God had allowed. Verse 9 says, “When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.” So, you find God communicating through a star. That was miraculous!
You find God communicating through a dream. Verse 12 says, “And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.” So, the wise men had a star and a dream.
God also communicated through an angel. Verse 13 says, “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.” You have both a dream and an angel in this verse.
You find the three of these, a star, a dream, and an angel, more than once, but what you find interspersed throughout the first few chapters of Matthew is God’s communicating to people through prophecy, God’s Word. Verse 5 says, “Thus it is written by the prophet.” Verse 15 says, “That it might be fulfilled.” Verse 17 says, “Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying…” Verse 23 says, “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets.” So, God’s Word is every bit as miraculous as the star, the dream, and the angel because God’s Word prophesied and foretold what was to come.
Now, Matthew is giving commentary on the ancient Scriptures. For instance, Matthew 1:22-23 says, “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child.” In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for “virgin” allows for it to mean “a young maiden,” so people have disputed whether it was just talking about a young maiden and not necessarily a virgin. However, Matthew makes very clear what God intends. Matthew 1 says, “For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost… Behold, a virgin shall be with child…Emmanuel…God with us.” Verse 25 says, “[Joseph] knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and called his name JESUS.” In other words, there are numerous times in chapter 1 where the Bible makes very clear what God’s meaning was back in the Old Testament. God’s Word here is every bit as miraculous as the star, the dream, and the angel.
How do we know of the miraculous in the Christmas story? How do we know about the angels, the dream, or the star? We know because of God’s supernatural revelation to us, God’s Word. You see, the more you know God’s Word, the better you know God’s Son. Whatever else may have guided these wise men, the story of the miraculous incarnation is full of God’s own Word foretelling what would happen. The more you know God’s Word, the better you know God’s Son.
That means a couple of things. First, it means that you are going to have to make time for God’s Word in the new year. You must have a time when you will read God’s Word. Growing up, I remember learning that the time to read the Word of God was always in the morning, preferably as painfully early as possible. There is good reason for that, but you can read the Word of God in the evening. The point is to read the Word of God whenever your mind is most alert and most able to get what God intends. So, knowing God’s Word requires time.
Second, knowing God’s Word requires discipline. I don’t mean simple, mere willpower. I mean a habit, things that are consistently done so you cannot not do them. Some things are just habitual; you just do them. That takes a little time and some intention.
Third, knowing God’s Word requires thought. Reading God’s Word is no good at all if you don’t have time to think about it. Better to read a little bit and think a lot, than to read a lot and not have a clue about what you are reading. Just this past week one of my sons said “I am going to read Isaiah because it has a lot of prophecy about the Messiah.” I said, ‘Ok, I’ll read Isaiah with you.” Well, that is a challenge because I am also reading the Kings and I occasionally read Proverbs. To read a book like Isaiah, which is full of pictures and prophesy from a different day and time, takes time and effort.
So, what good is reading God’s Word if you do not have a time, a habit, and the chance to think through what you have read. Friend, there is so much that we can know by knowing God’s Word. There is One we can know by reading what God has written about Him. Today, you may not see a star, have a dream, or be visited by an angel, but you have God’s supernatural Word to give you light just as the star did on God’s Son the Messiah.